Artistic missteps or no, Smith has maintained a loyal fanbase unlikely to turn on him for his sexual orientation, and his own liberal views are well known: His indie horror-comedy Red State is in some respects a hate letter to the fiercely intolerant Westboro Baptist Church.

There was the worrying fact, of course, that Smith has been married to Jennifer Schwalbach, an actress and broadcaster with whom he hosted a podcast, since 1999. They also have a teenage daughter. What to make of this sudden public announcement?

@ThatKevinSmith What? Is this a bit? If not, happy for you but hope Jen & Harley are ok w/ this.

A couple of hours later, Smith explained that he’d been hacked, then set the record straight, so to speak. Cool dude that he is, he endeavored to show maximum love and respect. (The original tweet hasn't been deleted, either.)

Not me. Been hacked. Proud to be bi-curious, not brave enough to commit.